Sample Rhetorical Analysis: "From Compton to Harvard: Teen Snags Opportunity of a Lifetime" (CNN Article)

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In the article attached, the author tries to celebrate the success of a young black man who was accepted to Harvard College, an extremely prestigious university. While I mean no disrespect to the student, there are some aspects of the article that obscure the facts or hide them, or frame the student's success in a way that implies something negative about black men.

The idea here is to sort of "read between the lines" for what the article implies based on what information is included and what is left out--or how the events are framed. As you read, continually ask yourselfwhythe author would say what she says the way she says it.

You might also think about what the author assumes is "normal" and who the author is writing to. Who is the audience for this? If it were written to inspire high school students, you'd expect it to tell them how to get into Harvard. But it doesn't.

Article:"From Compton to Harvard: Teen Snags Opportunity of a Lifetime" (CNN Article)

Compton to Harvard.docxDownload Compton to Harvard.docx

Discussion Questions:Read the article carefully and answer the questions below by posting your responses. Then, respond to two other students' posts with questions or comments.

1. What do you think the purpose of the article is? What is its message?
2. To whom do you think it is written?
3. What would you expect the article to contain if it were going to deliver that message to that audience?
4. How does the author characterize Elijah Devaughn? Pay close attention to the ending?
5. How does the article characterize his mother?
6. How does the author characterize the city of Compton?
7. What does the article imply are the reasons that Devaughn was so successful? What did he and his mother do to help him get into Harvard?
8. Why do you think the author chose not to state where Devaughn went to high school?
9. Why do you think the author quoted Devaughn saying that at Harvard he "won't be a big fish" anymore? Why wouldn't he be a big fish?
10. What else (besides Devaughn's high school) might the article be hiding? (Hint: Think about the current student debt crisis and the recent scandals in admissions to higher education)
11. "Mythos" is the beer pictured above but it also refers to another rhetorical strategy besides logos, ethos, and pathos. Mythos is the use of myth to make an appeal to a reader by reproducing a narrative that is familiar. The "Rags to Riches" story is a myth. The American Dream is a rags to riches myth which most of us have heard of, but it isn't necessarily true that anyone can be successful in America if they just work hard and keep trying. Mythos is considered manipulative and should be a "red flag" when you notice it. Do you think there is any use of mythos in this article? Explain.